Searching through each hallway in the tower, room after room, Valtor and Zara stumbled upon a room occupied with loads of machinery and gadgets heaped on the tiled floors .
They glanced at each other in surprise before walking in, picking up each one as they observed them;
There were loads of identical portable, cube-shaped metal devices with a few scrunched up wires hanging here and there
Valtor shook one, listening for any subtle rattling, but it was silent.
I don't think they're functional, he stated as he dropped it.
Zara glanced at him, as she continued to observe them..'notice how they all have the same symbol engraved on them?
Kind of looks like an 'S', she added.
Yeah, he nodded before picking up another gadget buried underneath the rest. Blue eyes scanned through it, noticing it's difference in shape and structure.
It was cylindrical, with it's wires more stretched out and connected in place.
'Look at this one', he gestured to Zara beside him who narrowed her eyes, observing it, 'This one's different', she agreed.
They began to search underneath the pile for anything else till they found another identical cylindrical- shaped gadget.
Placing them side by side..., Zara faced him,
What do you think?, she asked
It's heavier than the rest, Valtor replied, plus it's wires are connected in place, so it might be in better condition.
She nodded in agreement,..yeah, but we don't know what it does
There's a button on the top, Valtor pointed to a small red button which glinted on the upper right side of both devices,
'It's probably the power button', he added
It should be, but I don't think we should touch it, she advised.
Let's just leave them here and inform the others first. Then we could all come back together and try to figure this out.
Valtor nodded in agreement.
Walking out of the room, they noticed a small plaque placed above the door and read through
Hall 3, room 12, Zara announced
'Hall 3, room 12', Valtor repeated the words, committing them to memory.
Orea watched as Lynx turned to face her,
'Thats simple', he replied as he began to approach her, his hazel eyes turning blue as he suddenly shot an ice spike which flew a short distance away from her and landed on the wall
'You have a poor aim', she dryly stated, seeming unmoved
See that, he spoke up, that cold look in your eye, the same look you always gave me back then, he folded his arms,.. I imagined you'd be a handful, and I was right
Orea narrowed her eyes, that's it?, that's why you never broke contact, because I seemed like a handful?
You're also easily the prettiest girl I've ever seen, he casually slipped in, causing her to stare expressionlessly at him.
'Not that I'm in love with you or anything, that was just a compliment',..he added quickly
Orea opened her mouth to retort, but on giving a rethink, she changed her mind,. 'Good to know', she replied instead, her gaze drifting to the icy crystal on the wall.
That it!, she suddenly exclaimed on noticing the reflection of a glowing button which adjacently rested on the wall.
Rushing towards it, she slightly pushed it down, producing a 'click' sound and brightening up the whole room in an instant.
Observing their surroundings for the first time, Lynx noticed a load of empty boxes and tarps piled on top of some shelves, he faced her in surprise
How'd you know what that button does?
I didn't, she replied.. a satisfied smiled playing on her lips
And hey, she glanced at a corner by her right, 'looks like there's a stair here', she began to hurry towards it
Hold up, we don't even know where it leads, Lynx yelled as he followed behind her.
................
Valtor and Zara slipped through the walls of the city in high spirits, meeting Rowynn and Kymani who displayed opposite expressions.
'Please tell me you guys found something unlike us', Kymani asked on sighting them, earning a reply from Zara.
We did actually, she glanced at Valtor as they exchanged knowing smiles, before scanning the area
Where's Orea?, Valtor asked on noticing her absence.
She's not out yet, Rowynn spoke up, facing him,..and neither is Lynx. So I'm guessing they ended up in the same place
Valtor's eyes subconsciously narrowed on hearing her words.
Staring into the sky, Zara watched as dark clouds began to gather,
'They better be on their way out cause it's starting to get dark', she murmured.
Orea and Lynx searched through the cluttered room beneath the stairs.
The stuffed, square-cornered space was tightly filled with metal parts and equipments like old nuts and bolts, rusty gears, and a few clogs lying here and there.
Walking towards a corner, Orea pulled off an old tarp which seemed to be hiding something underneath.
'Come look at this!, her eyes widened as she called out to her partner, staring at the setup before her.
A high, round-shaped, steel machinery, which was empty in it's center, stood before her, It's rusty appearance stood out.
It had a metal base and two empty cylindrical cannisters connected by its sides.
It's a portal!, Lynx's eyes lit up as he realized. He moved closer to examine the steel mechanism
Wait,..Did we just find our way out?, Orea beamed in excitement while Lynx faced her, mirroring her expression, yet his tone remained cautious.
'It's missing some pieces though', he spoke up, gesturing towards the empty cannisters.
Orea's optimism remained unwavering,
Yeah, but I'm sure we can find them.
'We'll have to do that later', Lynx responded,
We should head on out, for now.
To the delight of their friends, Orea and Lynx finally walked out of the city, earning cheers of relief and satisfaction from their exhausted peers.
Great you're back, Kymani spoke up, his tone laced with sarcasm. How come you two always disappear together?
We have good news, Orea replied instead as she marched forward, full of smiles.
Us too, Zara replied her,
"We found something", they both chorused, shocking each other in the process.